Perhaps due to various considerations, her older sister didn't go to Nancheng with Shuyan, only saying she'd visit sometime. Since her sister didn't want to, Shuyan couldn't force her, and eventually gave her the shop's phone number. Everyone has their ups and downs. If her older sister hadn't shared so much experience with her and introduced her to several high-quality, affordable shops, Shuyan wouldn't have had such a smooth journey. Anyway, whenever her older sister arrived in Nancheng and called, Shuyan would entertain her no matter how busy she was.
The store owners at Shuyan are clearing out their stock, and the market is doing the same. A lot of winter clothes are being sold off. Shuyan picked out some classic styles and a lot of versatile base layers. These can be sold in the fall and winter if they don't sell out. In addition, Shuyan also took a large number of spring styles. It really takes a lot of clothes to fill a store.
Just as I was about to hail a tricycle, I saw a tall and imposing man in a woolen overcoat standing by a utility pole not far from the market entrance.
Seeing Shu Yan come out, he walked over quickly. "The car is up ahead, I'll help you carry it over."
There was a lot of stock today, so Shu Yan picked out some styles to take back with her. There was so much stuff that it took Fang Zeyu three trips to get it all. Shu Yan also made three trips herself, but Fang Zeyu took all the heavy stuff, and she only took the small, miscellaneous items.
After the trunk was full, the passenger seat was also filled. When Shu Yan returned with her things and saw this, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, implying that she wouldn't sit in the passenger seat when she got back. If she wasn't even sure if Fang Zeyu had feelings for her, then all those years of living and all those idol dramas and novels she'd read would have been for nothing.
"It's still early, shall we go get some breakfast?" Fang Zeyu asked, turning his head as he finished tidying up his things.
"Okay, I'll treat you to breakfast." Shu Yan felt a little unwell on an empty stomach while traveling. "Driver, would you like to eat with us?"
"I don't need it, I've already eaten," the chef quickly shook his head.
The two ordered two baskets of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and two bowls of soy milk, having a simple breakfast without saying much, but without feeling awkward.
"Aren't you going to see Dou Dou?" Shu Yan asked, trying to make conversation on the way back.
“Dou Dou and his mother went to his maternal grandmother’s. Anyway, I come to Hangzhou often, I’ll come see him again next time.” Fang Zeyu glanced at Shu Yan.
Shu Yan nodded, opened the car door and was about to get in when Fang Zeyu beat her to it, saying, "You don't know how to ride, so the window seat is for you." The other window seat was piled high with goods.
"Thanks!"
He probably noticed my motion sickness earlier; he's a very thoughtful and considerate person.
"Go to sleep. I'll let you know when we get there." Fang Zeyu took out a small pillow and placed it by the window so she could lean against it and sleep. "This way, your neck won't get tired, and your head won't hurt from the vibration."
Shu Yan had no idea he had prepared this, and she was slightly touched.
After she came into this world, she suddenly had two children and possessed the original owner's memories. She naturally had feelings for these two children and would never allow herself to give them up. She had to be strong in front of them, shielding them from the wind and rain. Sometimes she even forgot that she was originally a single woman, unmarried and childless, thirty years old but twenty at heart, longing to find a husband who could pamper her.
Shu Yan smiled at him, then leaned against her small pillow and slowly fell asleep.
Shu Yan slept exceptionally well today, sleeping all the way to the shop entrance. She was still a little dazed when Fang Zeyu woke her up.
"You've arrived." Fang Zeyu gently touched her arm.
"I'm still a little sleepy, thank you. Why don't you come down and sit for a while?" Shu Yan invited Zhang Huaxiu and Yingying to come and help carry the goods.
"No need, I have things to do at the company, I'll be leaving now." Fang Zeyu nodded slightly, and after Shu Yan finished unloading the goods, he had the driver take him away.
Shu Yan was slightly taken aback. Fang Zeyu had been particularly distant just now, as if they weren't very familiar with each other. But in Hangzhou, Fang Zeyu had been very proactive, taking on all the tasks, and his expression and tone were completely different. Of course, Shu Yan didn't think he had schizophrenia. She guessed he was afraid that his reputation would implicate her, so he pretended not to know her when he returned to Nancheng.
When you truly like someone, you put yourself in their shoes and consider their feelings. This is a sign of Fang Zeyu's maturity and proves that he wasn't just acting on impulse.
Shu Yan bit her lip, feeling a slight pang of sadness.
"Boss lady, who was that just now..." Zhang Huaxiu stopped talking as soon as she saw Yingying come out.
“He had business in Hangzhou, so we carpooled together. Let’s quickly take out the goods, sort them out, and hang them up.”
In fact, Fang Zeyu's reputation was only well-known in the vicinity of Nancheng University. At that time, Fang Zeyu was obviously wronged, and those people would only think about suppressing the matter. How could it have become known throughout the city? The reason he became so famous was naturally due to his stepmother. Three men can make a tiger, and those who were originally suspicious became half-believing and half-doubting. But outside that area, no one knew who he was. Zhang Huaxiu's behavior only made people more suspicious.
In the past, Shu Yan had to rush home at noon to cook for the children, but now she can go back slowly without having to cook for herself. Her aunt will save food for her or cook her a bowl of noodles, which is much better than her own cooking skills.
For the next few days, Shu Yan received a call from Fang Zeyu every night. He didn't say much, just a greeting and a goodnight, but she never saw him. If it weren't for the nightly call, Shu Yan would have thought she had guessed wrong.
"Mom." Shu Yan was brought back to her senses by Jing Jing's call. She looked at Jing Jing and saw her wearing a pink three-piece suit. She twirled around in front of her. "Is it okay for me to wear this to Aunt Xiu Xiu's wedding tomorrow?"
“Okay, our Jingjing looks good in anything.” Shu Yan pinched her cheek. Children recover much faster than adults. Shu Yan could lighten her skin several shades, so Jingjing was even more so. Now that she’s gained some weight, she’s also become much fairer. She’s no longer the ugly duckling Shu Yan first saw. When her hair grows long, she can wear two braids like Tongtong and she’ll be a beautiful little princess.
Jingjing smiled shyly and ran back to her room to change into her pajamas.
While others gain a few pounds over the New Year, Shu Yan actually lost a few pounds and now weighs 107 pounds. She still has quite a bit of belly fat, but it's not very noticeable when she wears thick clothes in winter. At least now, no one would say she's fat if she went out.
People of this generation might prefer her figure, but Shu Yan is not satisfied with her weight. She needs to lose another ten pounds. However, she has clearly reached a plateau. She hasn't lost an ounce in the last few days and even feels like she's gaining some.
When you lose weight, clothes naturally look better. Shu Yan threw away her old clothes and now wears clothes from her own store. For Xiu Xiu's wedding, she specially chose a new winter outfit, put on light makeup, and looked radiant. She wasn't exactly stunning, but she was at least a pretty and delicate beauty.
"Mom is so beautiful." When Shu Yan came out after her makeup was done, Jing Jing and Tian Bao were stunned. Ever since they could remember, Shu Yan had always been disheveled. She became clean after coming to Nancheng, but with her height and weight, she still didn't look good no matter how she dressed up.
"Thank you, let's go." Shu Yan smiled as she accepted the children's compliments.
Xiuxiu is her store manager and also Wu Xiuyue's sister-in-law, so the red envelope should be quite large. Shuyan gave 600 yuan, which is definitely a super big red envelope nowadays.
They arrived at the restaurant with their two children. There were ten tables in total, and ninety percent of the guests were relatives from Zhang Huaxiu's side. Apart from Chen Fei's uncle's family, only his father came.
Chen Fei doesn't look like his father at all; he probably looks like his mother. Chen Fei's father sat there with a happy expression, looking quite amiable.
"Shuyan, sit here." Wu Xiuyue led Shuyan to her seat.
"I won't sit down, just find me any seat." Shu Yan quickly declined as soon as she saw that she was to be seated at a table.
"You're the matchmaker for Xiuxiu and Chen Fei. If you don't sit here, who will?"
There were only a few seats at the table, so of course the two kids couldn't take them all. Shuyan told them to go play with Zhang Chenghan, and that she would bring out the dishes later so they could eat with Zhang Chenghan inside.
As guests arrived one after another, Shu Yan's table was occupied by Zhang Huaxiu's maternal grandparents, uncles, aunts, and other relatives. Upon seeing Shu Yan, they all quietly asked, "Who is this, Zhang's mother?" When they heard that Shu Yan was Zhang Huaxiu's boss, they immediately greeted her.
"Our Xiuxiu is usually very well taken care of by you." Grandma is seventy-five years old this year, but she still looks very young.
"I owe it all to Xiuxiu's help. Without her managing this shop for me, I wouldn't be able to have it so easy," Shuyan said, praising Huaxiu in return.
"It's because you were willing to nurture Xiuxiu, otherwise she wouldn't have had this opportunity," Grandma said with a smile. "Thank you also for helping to introduce such a good young man as Chen Fei. I've been worried about Xiuxiu not getting married for so long."
"Why bring this up on such a joyous occasion?" Grandpa glared at Grandma.
Shu Yan smiled and chatted with her aunt about local wedding customs. When it was time to eat, her grandmother warmly urged Shu Yan to eat more.
"Grandma, I'm not one to stand on ceremony, I'll eat it myself." Shu Yan was a little overwhelmed by her enthusiasm.
"Then eat more, eat more." Grandma didn't try to persuade her any further.
A little while later, Chen Fei and Zhang Huaxiu came over to offer a toast. On this joyous occasion, everyone said some words of blessing to help the young couple get through the ordeal easily.
Halfway through the meal, two people at the next table suddenly said something loudly. Shu Yan turned her head and saw that both of them had red faces and were obviously drunk.
Zhang Huaxiu's maternal grandmother looked rather grim. "Who put those two people together?"
"I don't know." Zhang Huaxiu's aunt also looked unwell. "I'll go call my second brother-in-law and ask him to come over right away."
Before Zhang Huaxiu's father could arrive, one of them picked up a bowl and smashed it on the ground. Today was a joyous wedding day; what difference was there between smashing a bowl on the ground and hitting the newlyweds in the face?
With a bang, the entire wedding banquet fell silent, as if it had been paused. The two people arguing instantly sobered up, looked at Zhang's father who had rushed over, exchanged glances, then gave a soft snort and turned their heads away.
"May you both be safe and sound every year, and may everything go smoothly for you both," Shu Yan said with a smile as she stood up.
Everyone realized what was happening and offered their congratulations to Zhang Huaxiu and Chen Fei.
The two nodded and thanked him with somewhat stiff smiles.
Just as things calmed down here, Chen Fei's father, who had been carrying luggage at some point, started clamoring to go back.
"What are you doing?" Uncle Chen asked, pulling Uncle Chen back.
"What 'May you have peace and safety every year'? I think it's just a way of looking down on me and my son. So what if you're from Nancheng? This wedding is off. I'm taking my son with me. If he doesn't leave, he's not my son."
"Are you done talking? If you are, put your things down and sit back down," Uncle Chen warned, looking at Father Chen.
Mr. Chen, who had been so aggressive, immediately shrank back, put down his things, and sat back down.
This scene was actually witnessed by many people, but everyone pretended not to see it.
It was Zhang Huaxiu's relatives who caused this mess, so it's understandable that her father was angry. Her uncle stepped in to smooth things over, which shows that he is sensible.
After all the guests left, Zhang Huaxiu's tears fell in streams. "I told you not to invite him, but you insisted. Look at the mess you've made now!"
Mrs. Zhang glanced at her daughter cautiously. "That's your cousin, aren't you inviting him to your wedding? The other one is your uncle, aren't you inviting him either? I know they never got along, but it's been over ten years, I thought..."
"What do you think? Alright, what's the point of saying all this now that it's already happened? Don't cry anymore. It's a joyous occasion, try to think positively. Thank you, Shuyan, for making this happen," said Zhang's father.
"No need, it's getting late, I'll take the kids home first." This is someone else's private matter, and it's quite awkward to stand by.
"Wait!" Wu Xiuyue chased after them, carrying a bag. "You didn't take your things."
"I've taken the wedding candy." Zhang Huaxiu even gave one to each of the two children, along with three boxes of wedding candy.
"No, it's for the matchmaker." Wu Xiuyue stuffed the item into her hand.
"They call themselves matchmakers, but they didn't really help much, so I don't want this gift." Shu Yan shook her head. Actually, they fell in love on their own, and it really had little to do with her.
"No, you must accept this thank-you gift, otherwise it will be bad luck."
Since she had said that, Shu Yan had no choice but to accept it.
When she got home, she found two packs of cigarettes, two boxes of wedding candy, and two red envelopes. One was a gift she had given to Zhang Huaxiu, which she returned to her. The other was a thank-you gift from them to the matchmaker, containing 200 yuan.
Well, I went out to a wedding banquet, got a free meal, and even received a 200 yuan red envelope and a bunch of stuff.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com